Royal Military College Paladins replicated the improved performance they displayed in their previous two games Wednesday night—they just didn’t do it for the full game.

The Paladins spotted the visiting Ontario Tech Ridgebacks a three-goal lead and they ultimately couldn’t overcome it as they dropped a 4-2 decision in an Ontario University Athletics hockey game at Constantine Arena.

That means RMC, 0-18-3, will go to its annual match with the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., Saturday without a win to date this season.

Paladins coach Adam Shell lamented a schedule that had his team play its first four games after Christmas on the road—including single-game trips to North Bay and Sudbury—and play two of its last three games in the middle of the week.

“We’re not that great during the week; our school’s schedule is always heavier (at the start of the week),” he said, and Wednesday night that manifested itself in his team being flat in a first period where it was outshot 14-7.

“They were way better in the first but we hung on and Evan (goaltender Deviller) did a good job keeping it 0-0.”

RMC’s funk continued into the second period, as Tech scored twice in the first 56 seconds. It was 3-0 when Alex Pym beat Ridgebacks goaltender Brendan O’Neill with a high shot from the top of the circle on his off wing with two minutes to play in the period.

A Tech goal early in the third period was nullified two minutes later when O’Neill, briefly a member of the Kingston Voyageurs two years ago, muffed a relatively harmless-looking shot by Eric Louis-Seize.

For Louis-Seize, it was his team-leading 10th goal and 22nd point of the season, and the 15th point in his last eight games.

Unable to capitalize on five third-period power plays—and despite outshooting Tech 16-6 in the third period—the Paladins were unable to get closer.

“That was the way we played the last couple of games,” Shell said. “We just didn’t do it long enough.

“We slowly started to turn it around (in the second period). In the third we were the better team but it was a little bit late. (Tech) needed a win; it was an important game for them. For us, it was too little, too late.”

RMC had looked much better in its last two games, losing in overtime to Laurentian and by just a goal—after overcoming a 3-0 deficit—to No. 9-ranked McGill.

“We’re a better team,” Shell said. “We’re playing on the right side of the puck—we’ve lessened our turnovers. Our penalty kill has been way better: it was below 70 per cent; the last four games it’s been probably in the 90s.

“That changed everything. Evan started to round into form—(we’re doing) all the little things that matter.”

James Woodcroft, Cameron Yuill, Jesse Stoughton and Alex Derlis shared the Tech goals. Napanee’s Jake Logan, another former Voyageur, now in his third year with the Ridgebacks, had one assist, his team-best 13th of the year.

The win lifted the Ridgebacks into a sixth-place tie with idle Queen’s. Both teams have 19 points, three more than eighth-place Concordia—an 8-5 winner over Trois-Rivieres Wednesday—but Tech has played one more game.